Apparatus for withdrawing rod-like articles from a supply container



Oct. 15, 1957 M. POLLMANN ETAL 2,809,758

APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING ROD-LIKE ARTICLES FROM A SUPPLY CONTAINER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1954 IIIIIII! UIIIIIIIIIIIIllIlIllIIIIIIlllllllIIIl-Ilf Ll a @m A@@@@ @Q@@ .HA@@@@ .I I I I a W@@@I I H I Oct. 15, 1957 M. POLLMAN APPARATUS FOR FROA N ET G ROD- A SUPPLYCONTAIN LIKE ARTICLES WI'IHDRAWIN VI 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 22,1954 United rates APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING ROD-LIKE ARTICLES FROM ASUPPLY CONTAHQER Max Pollmann and Adolf Schmid, Hamburg, Bergedorf,

Germany, assignors to Kurt Korber & Co. K. G., Hamburg, Bergedorf,Germany Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,143

iaims priority, application Germany August 6, 1953 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-68)The invention relates to a device for withdrawing cigarettes or otherrod-like articles from a supply container and for arranging thecigarettes or the like in a chamber provided with partition walls overwhich rotary drums are arranged at distances one from the other suchthat at one time only a single cigarette can pass between adjacent rollsinto the compartments of the chamber located below it.

In packing machines as is known at present, the cigarettes are depositedinto supply containers and pass upon their downward movement into achamber generally provided with intermediate spaces. On the lower sideof the chamber is located one or more plungers which discharge out thecigarettes from the chamber in the required number for packing. Duringthe downward movement of the cigarettes disturbances often occurparticularly when the cigarettes pass from the supply container into thechamber with its intermediate walls especially since by even a slightinclination of the individual cigarettes over the chamber the neXtfollowing cigarette is prevented from passing into the individualcompartment.

Many proposals have already been made to avoid these disadvantages inwhich for example various forms are utilised for the upper edges of theintermediate partition elements. Thus for example all the upper edgeslie either at one level or they have a trough-shaped form, also they maybe alternately high and low or they may show a step-like formation fromone side, in some cases with a chain above it. Further constructions areknown in which the partition walls or the whole chamber receives ashaking or vibratory movement. Further it is also known to give thepartition walls an alternately up and down movement. Also at thecommencement of the entry into the chamber rolls have been providedbetween the partition walls with a longitudinal opening on one side forreceiving a single cigarette which then by a short rotation of the rollsis transferred downwardly into the individual compartments. Finallyseveral parallel rolls provided with grooves have been fitted above theindividual partition walls in the chamber which receive a reciprocatorymovement. All these constructions especially the latter have however notprovided a disturbance-free introduction of the cigarettes into thechamber.

In order to avoid and overcome these disadvantages it is thereforeproposed according to the invention that the rolls located above thechamber at the lower end of the supply container shall have during therotation a movement in the vertical and horizontal directions. For thispurpose the rotating rolls are arranged eccentrically to their drivingelements for example gear wheels with either opposite or similarrotation for the adjacent rolls.

This movement of the rolls in the horizontal and particularly thevertical direction has the advantage that a movement is imparted to thecigarettes by which they are introduced to the individual chambers whensupplied to and arranged in the compartment. The partition walls2,809,768 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 ice,

of the chamber lying below the rolls and preferably of conical form arerigidly connected with the machine and according to the spacing of thecigarettes at the lower ends of the chamber are more or less inclined tothe vertical. The upper surfaces of the chamber walls are preferablymade concave. The spacing between the individual rolls is constant andremains unvaried even during the rotation of the individual rolls. Ifthe rolls rotate in the same direction they make altogether a more orless parallel movement, but if they rotate oppositely the rolls move inthe manner of a wave below the cigarettes. In this case the outersurfaces of the rolls for one channel move upwardly and those for theadjacent channels move downwardly, those for the third channel upwardlyand so on. By this opposed rotation and by the alternating position ofthe individual rolls at various levels one to the other the result isobtained that always sufiicient cigarettes are disposed over theindividual chamber compartments. This back and forth and up and downmovement and the consequent rotation of the individual rolls takentogether with a simultaneous determination of the peripheral speedinsures disturbance-free operation.

The featuresof the present invention are shown on the accompanyingdrawings by way of constructional examples in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the firstexample with eccentrically arranged oppositely rotating adjacent rolls,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-sectional view taken throughthe bearings of the rollers in Fig. 1 looking in a downward directionsection,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of a secondembodiment with rolls operating in the same direction,

Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the rotating rolls in four differentphases according to Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 5 shows the same diagram for the rolls according to Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of a partitionwall and a rotating roll with an intermediate additional roll accordingto a third example, and

Figs. 7 and 8 show on a larger scale partial cross and longitudinalsections respectively of a fourth embodiment.

The parallel disposed cigarettes 2 from a supply container 1 move slowlydownwards to a chamber 3 over which at a certain distance is preferablyarranged an inclined strip 4 which eliminates excessive pressure of thecigarettes on the chamber 3. The rip can itself additionally receive avibratory movement in known manner. The chamber is divided by partitionwalls 5 which altogether are more or less inclined downwardly. Thepartition walls themselves are conically formed in the downwarddirection and have on their upper end face a concave shape or form 6. Aroll '7 is arranged above each partition wall which is eccentricallymounted in the discs 8. The discs 8 embody on their other sides bearingpins 9 which are rotatably supported in the side walls of the supplycontainer 1. Each pin 9 carries at its end a gear wheel 10 which engageswith the gear wheel of adjacent pins (Figs. 1 and 2). The drive of therolls is eifected for example by means of a driving gear 32. In thiscase therefore the rolls rotate alternately to the left and to theright. The spacing between the rotating rolls 7 and the spacing of theindividual partition waHs 5 is about 2 mm. more than the diameter of thecigarettes. The partition walls are conveniently made as wide in theupper part as the diameter of the rolls. The partition walls areseparate and spaced from the rolls, that is to say they are not incontact therewith. The spacing between the upper concave surface of thepartition walls and D the lowermost point of the eccentrically rotatingrolls amounts to about /2 mm in order to prevent the tobacco fibres fromcollecting therebetween.

Where the rolls 7 are to rotate in the same direction the pins 9 carrychain wheels 1 0" overwhi'ch' an. endless chain 11 runs (Fig 3). l

In order to facilitate entryintothe individual'compartments 3 there mayadditionally'befprovided: further rotary rolls 12' (Fig. 6) between theupper concave faces 6 of the partition Walls 5 and the rotating. rolls7.

If also the intermediate space between the rolls 7' in their raisedposition and the upper edges 6 of the partition walls 5 only amounts toabout /2 mm'rit has been found in practice that during operatiorr of themachine tobacco dust collects on the upper faces of thepartition wallsso that stoppages occur a11d=v also by the released tobacco dust thecigarettes are soiled. Moreover it may occur that in the upper positionof the rolls 7 a cigarette is pressed between 'one'roll and the surface6 of the partition Wall concerned. In order to avoid these disadvantagesthe rolls 7 according to Figs. 7 and 8 have two or more grooves 13 ontheir periphery in which engage fingers 14 associated with the partitionwalls 5'. 'Further the upper surfaces 6' of the partition walls 5 havea'conc'ave or roof-shaped form so that no tobacco dustcan collectthereon. By the fork or comb-shaped fingers 14 of the partition walls 5free sliding off of the cigarettes is obtained; 7

What we claim is:

'In an apparatus for feeding rod-like articles, a supply hopper having adischarge opening in its bottom wall, a receiving container mountedbeneath said discharge opening, a series of partition walls in saidcontainer spaced apart a distance equal to the'diameter of said rod-likearticles, the upper surfaces of said partition walls being convex, aplurality of eccentrically mounted rollers rotatably mounted between thehopper and said receiving container in spaced apart relation and withone roller positioned above each partition wall, additional rotary rollsarranged between said eccentric rolls and said partition Walls toprevent the accumulation of foreign particles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,683,918 Riddell Sept. 11, 1928 1 ,941,147 Johlige Dec. 26, 19332,087,675 Peterson July 20, 1937 2,167,049 Maurath July 25, '19392,284,975 Horner June 2, 1942 7 2,472,563 Bourland June 7, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS 566,441 Germany Dec. 19, 1932

